Author
Topic: Valentino Pasta (Read 6818 times)

I just wanted to let you all know what's been keeping me from making as many pizza's as I'd like to be making and eating.

I've started an artisan dry pasta company. It's been a long way coming but we are finally ready to begin selling in a couple of Chicagoland farmer's markets, and shops. Hopefully by summer or fall we'll have an online store.

I'm inviting you to connect with us on the website, facebook, and or twitter where I post about starting a business, recipes, and other shenanigans.

Hey I just checked out your page. As craig said, great logo. I also think the bags look great. I am curious how you're running business, I am starting a small specialty item business too. Do you have your nutritional facts printed on the bag? Did you pay to have someone do that for you? Or are you only selling direct to consumer and taking advantage of some type of IL cottage food laws?

Hey I just checked out your page. As craig said, great logo. I also think the bags look great. I am curious how you're running business, I am starting a small specialty item business too. Do you have your nutritional facts printed on the bag? Did you pay to have someone do that for you? Or are you only selling direct to consumer and taking advantage of some type of IL cottage food laws?

Jeff-there are numerous online companies that can do nutrition labels. Mine worked out very easy as the pasta is only flour and water, but you do have to pay for each product. Farmers markets don't require them for me, but they did verify their sourcing etc.

Today for lunch I boiled up some of Jeff's creste de gallo durum pasta. I sauced it lightly with the last of the tomato sauce I put up last year from my garden. I had concerns about how well the pasta would do at high-altitude where the boiling point is 198F and pasta can take twice as long to cook as at sea level. Often, the extra cooking time is to the detriment of the final texture.

That was not the case here. The pasta came out perfectly al dente. Everyone loved the taste and texture. I don't think we had every tried that shape before. It went perfectly with the sauce. Jeff has a winner here. Chicago pasta lovers are very lucky.

Yep Great Pasta Jeff. Had a chance to try mine as well. Followed the directions and came out pefect and al dente as well. Plowed down 3 plates ! (small ones) Great mouth feel , Flavor, and really cool shape. No fancy presentation here just some left over gravy and so KILLER Pasta ! Thanks again best of luck with the new venture. Its a no brainer y'all go and get some quick !John

I also have a suggestion if you want to try this. It's a pasta I came up with I really enjoy for pasta.

Blanch brocolli rabe briefly, put in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Crisp up some bacon in a pan, crumble into some smaller pieces. Saute the brocolli rabe in the same pan as the bacon fat, throw the bacon back into to warm it up, toss in the properly cooked pasta, take off the heat and put in a small portion of grated parm reg and toss.

I also have a suggestion if you want to try this. It's a pasta I came up with I really enjoy for pasta.

Blanch brocolli rabe briefly, put in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Crisp up some bacon in a pan, crumble into some smaller pieces. Saute the brocolli rabe in the same pan as the bacon fat, throw the bacon back into to warm it up, toss in the properly cooked pasta, take off the heat and put in a small portion of grated parm reg and toss.

Thanks for the recipe-I make something similar but usually use sausage.

To make the pasta we knead semolina (or other flour)slowly w cold water. Then extrude it through brass dies and let it dry for very slow at relatively cool temperatures.

Keeping everything cool among other things preserves nutrition, flavor, and aroma of the grain.Jeff

Awesome. Brass dies is what made oldschool, traditional pasta great. Creates a better surface on the pasta. That's what I wanted to hear

Yep makes a big difference.

Funny thing now is some industrial manufacturers are using brass dies w teflon inserts so they can claim "we use traditional brass dies". I was given one of these dies to try in hopes that I would buy them. No good. I actually ruined it trying to remove the teflon inserts.

Here is a pic of some fusilli that just came out of the extruder. You can see the great texture they will have. They will smooth out a bit when they dry, but hopefully you get the point. They hold sauce very well.